Taliban threaten media against working in Ghazni

KABUL (Pajhwok): Free media supporting group NAI on Thursday said torching media installations and threatening local journalists against working in Ghazni province was against ‘the freedom of expression’ and Islamic and the country’s laws.

Abdul Mujib Khelwatgar, NAI executive chief, told a press conference in Kabul that media was totally shut down in Ghazni.

“The media in Ghazni is in a serious situation as the Taliban have warned media outlets they can no longer work in Ghazni”, he said.

Late last Thursday, Taliban militants coordinately stormed Ghazni City from several directions, with the fighting lasting for five days and creased on Wednesday.

Both the warring sides and civilians suffered heavy causalities in the clashes.

However, reports on Wednesday said the security situation has improved in Ghazni city and most parts of the city are under Afghan forces’ control.

The NAI chief asked the Afghan government and international media supporting organizations to help the media in Ghazni resume functioning as soon as possible.

“Ghazni has nine radio stations, two television channels and two printing publications, all of them are now closed following the Taliban threat,” he said.

Taliban fighters attacked Tapa-i-Television and torched antennas and transmitters of National Radio Television, the BBC, Radio Azadi, Voice of America, Arman and Ariana Radios stations during the group’s assault on Ghazni city.

Khelwatgar said: “This threat from the Taliban is against the freedom of expression, Islamic and laws of Afghanistan because it violates the right of access to information.”

He asked the government to pave the ground for media in Ghazni to resume functioning.

He also asked officials of Islamic countries to cooperate with media in Ghazni, the center of Islamic culture.